SAM Thunderbolt 1911 Stainless

wayupnorth said:
I got mine from Wolverine.
they must have just run out because i got mine there 2 weeks ago.

i see they have a couple other Stainless ones in other then the Thunderbolt.

Enhanced Commander 45
Military Enhanced 45
Military Enhanced 9mm
Sigma 9 9mm
Titan (officer size) in both V1 and V2 stainless

your best bet would be to call Guy and ask him when they are gonna get more Thunderbolts in.
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Thanks man. I m just afraid the price will jump on the next batch, I might settle for a blued one and cerakote the hell out of it.
 
Recently I handled and shot an ATI which is made by SAM and identical. I was very impressed and will buy one when I return to Canada after my Texas winter. My plan includes a DIY trigger job and I have bought a jig for that and a few stones and small parts. Based on my only experience shooting one, it shouldn't take much to polish the stock pistol to a higher standard. I bought a lighter weight Cylinder and Slide sear spring to go with my initial effort. After that work, if I'm not satisfied I'll buy a high end Cylinder and Slide ignition set and drop that in.

From what I saw, the fit and finish are very good and much better than I expected. As this is a project gun for me, I'll take the fun in several steps. One of the last steps would be a good quality CeraKote finish. If and when I do that, I may get the smith to make a few mods including shortening the dust cover to make the gun Classic legal. I have a couple of Standard guns and one I upgraded for Production if I decide to shoot in that division which is unlikely. If I made mods for Classic, it would be to improve the resale value and the esthetics of the rail. I want a rail but would prefer one with a less clunky look.

Everything I've read tells me that the SAM guns as well as those from the other two Filipino producers are excellent values. These companies are very advanced operations capable of building high volumes of very respectable 1911's. I'm very excited about adding one to my fleet in May. The black models are finished with a type of Parkerizing that is an excellent base for the high-end finishes. My only experience with polished stainless was with my first handgun which was a SIG X-five. I found that stainless marks too easily and the marks are very visible. If I wanted a "silver" gun it would be one of the nickle finishes or hard chrome. Even hard chrome has an industrial look that doesn't appeal to me. I would probably go with Robar's nickle treatment or equivalents. MP3 or MP3 Plus has very could qualities and a subtle look that I like.
 
28gaugefan said:
Thanks wayupnorth. That makes it too long for Classic. Which is moot for me at this point anyway. Have to actually pick up a pistol and get some range time. It's been years since I fired any handgun. I really should get a .22 and spend a year emptying a few bricks of ammo learning the basics. But the "cool factor" of a 9mm appeals to me so much more. I keep bouncing around between wanting a SAM Stainless Enhanced 9mm, an M&P9 or a CZ 75B. I shot 1911s a fair bit when I was younger with a friends dad. He had an old Remington Rand and a Colt that was made sometime in the early 80s. I bet my marksmanship wasn't nearly as good as my murky memory recalls. LOL
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Get a GSG 22 and a SAM and you'll be golden - and you'll still have spent less than a Kimber
 
One of the roles for my SAM will be as a host for my 1911 .22 Conversion. I use that for Steel Challenge competitions. Getting a .22 is often recommended for new shooters. However, to me, the .22 gets "old" fast and isn't acceptable for the action games. I like to tell new shooters to give some advanced thinking into the likelihood that IPSC or similar would be of interest. I suggest that they try to get to an IPSC club practice night which will be a very good introduction to the sport and maybe light a fire. It sure did for me.

If competition of that sort looks to be a probability, my view is that a Production division 9mm is a good option for a starter gun as one can grow with it. Several makes like SIG or CZ have multi caliber options that offer a lot of flexibility at reasonable cost. I had a SIG .22 conversion that worked well with my SIG P-226 in my first year or two. One of the popular CZ guns with their .22 conversion would be another good choice. An entry level Tanfoglio is worth looking at for the same reason.

I know I'm not unique when I say that shooting a .22 at static targets loses its appeal quickly. The path to 3Gun is only a matter of money but you need at least a 9mm to get started on the obsessions.:evil:
 
enefgee said:
Get a GSG 22 and a SAM and you'll be golden - and you'll still have spent less than a Kimber
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This is the route I keep coming back to. Logic tells me to start with A GSG .22 and spend six months to a year burning up ammo learning to shoot a pistol again. Then pick up a SAM 9mm and get my black badge and try IPSC. But logic has never ruled my world and the 9mm will probably come first. Either way I want to make sure I can walk before I run into the competition world. I've wanted to shoot IPSC for years and never took the plunge for various reasons. I'm sure as I get along this path I'll become a pain here on CGN with questions.
 
wunorth…that's a nice looking 1911 at a good price! Any idea how these SAM's compare with Norc's….fit, function, cosmetics?
 
I've handled and shot the Thunderbolt 45ACP. IMO the fit, finish and function are well above what one would expect at that price level. Most hands on reviews I've read place the Filipino guns a significant level above the Norks
 
28gaugefan said:
This is the route I keep coming back to. Logic tells me to start with A GSG .22 and spend six months to a year burning up ammo learning to shoot a pistol again. Then pick up a SAM 9mm and get my black badge and try IPSC. But logic has never ruled my world and the 9mm will probably come first. Either way I want to make sure I can walk before I run into the competition world. I've wanted to shoot IPSC for years and never took the plunge for various reasons. I'm sure as I get along this path I'll become a pain here on CGN with questions.
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Don't be intimidated by IPSC. First the shooters are very understanding and generous with their coaching. Often a club has a regular practice night that you can attend. The odds are that the attending members will offer to let you shoot a few rounds and explain their pistol to you. I think I got to try six different guns on my first night. Secondly, except for safety, you have almost total control over the speed at which you operate. My priorities haven't changed: I want to be safe, have fun and enjoy the marvelous fellowship of the sport. I'm in my sixth year and shoot IPSC, IDPA, Steel Challenge,Tactical Shotgun, Tactical Carbine, all sorts of non -sanctioned games and lately 3 Gun. I follow my scores with passing interest as I compete with Me myself and I. Up to recently, I usually finish in the bottom third however, in the past two seasons, I often finish in the top half.

By the way, I'm 71, have very shaky legs and never fired a handgun prior to 2008. I shot a pistol and carbine match this morning and while I'm sore, I had a great time. The shooting sports are very social animals and I just love this aspect of the games. Don't worry about your current abilities as the are likely good enough to get started and your peers will help you progress. You might end up like me watching the calendar and the weather in anticipation of my next adventure. :dancingbanana:
 
gnmontey said:
71 and shooting IPSC! Internet savvy to boot! I'm impressed.

M
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I retired from my first career early and set up a small Computer Services company that I operated for ten years which were possibly the best of my life so far. I retired the second time in 2007, sold the house and moved into an RV. I'm in Canada from May to Oct and in Texas for the winter where I belong to two clubs and shoot almost every week. There are two of us 71 year old guys in one club. The other guy learned to shoot when he was 18 months old and finishes in the top three all the time. I want to be like him when I grow up. My latest adventures involved rebuilding a new Tanfoglio with all premium parts. That's my 3 Gun 9mm that I also use in Steel Challenge. When I get back to Canada I'm going to buy a S.A.M. 1911 and do my first 1911 DIY trigger job. I can't keep up with a lot of the cool kids but they are 30-40 years younger. I do have nicer guns tho.:cool:

By the way, a major part of my services in that little company involved tutoring "mature" people. My eldest victim was 92 and I had many that were over 80. Watch out for us "mature" people as while we move slower, we can be deadly accurate. :evil:
 
hercster said:
I retired from my first career early and set up a small Computer Services company that I operated for ten years which were possibly the best of my life so far. I retired the second time in 2007, sold the house and moved into an RV. I'm in Canada from May to Oct and in Texas for the winter where I belong to two clubs and shoot almost every week. There are two of us 71 year old guys in one club. The other guy learned to shoot when he was 18 months old and finishes in the top three all the time. I want to be like him when I grow up. My latest adventures involved rebuilding a new Tanfoglio with all premium parts. That's my 3 Gun 9mm that I also use in Steel Challenge. When I get back to Canada I'm going to buy a S.A.M. 1911 and do my first 1911 DIY trigger job. I can't keep up with a lot of the cool kids but they are 30-40 years younger. I do have nicer guns tho.:cool:

By the way, a major part of my services in that little company involved tutoring "mature" people. My eldest victim was 92 and I had many that were over 80. Watch out for us "mature" people as while we move slower, we can be deadly accurate. :evil:
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That's awesome!! Just goes to show it's never too late to try new things.
 
hercster said:
I retired from my first career early and set up a small Computer Services company that I operated for ten years which were possibly the best of my life so far. I retired the second time in 2007, sold the house and moved into an RV. I'm in Canada from May to Oct and in Texas for the winter where I belong to two clubs and shoot almost every week. There are two of us 71 year old guys in one club. The other guy learned to shoot when he was 18 months old and finishes in the top three all the time. I want to be like him when I grow up. My latest adventures involved rebuilding a new Tanfoglio with all premium parts. That's my 3 Gun 9mm that I also use in Steel Challenge. When I get back to Canada I'm going to buy a S.A.M. 1911 and do my first 1911 DIY trigger job. I can't keep up with a lot of the cool kids but they are 30-40 years younger. I do have nicer guns tho.:cool:

By the way, a major part of my services in that little company involved tutoring "mature" people. My eldest victim was 92 and I had many that were over 80. Watch out for us "mature" people as while we move slower, we can be deadly accurate. :evil:
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You made me laugh.. thanks for the post
 
hercster said:
By the way, a major part of my services in that little company involved tutoring "mature" people. My eldest victim was 92 and I had many that were over 80. Watch out for us "mature" people as while we move slower, we can be deadly accurate. :evil:
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Impressed ++

The other day I was thinking..... Man we have to do another Sheep hunt.. then the 50+ smoker reality set in.

Good for you! I may have to try IPSC. Been limiting my self to Steel.

M
 
johNTO said:
wunorth…that's a nice looking 1911 at a good price! Any idea how these SAM's compare with Norc's….fit, function, cosmetics?
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ive got 4 norc's and 2 SAMs.
the SAMs are fit and finish on par with my Ruger SR1911's.
so 2 to 3 times the fit and finish of a Norc.
if we use Norcs as the base standard and give it a value of 1 then a SAM Thunderbolt is a 3. Ruger SR1911 would be a 3-4.
Kimber 6.

in short the fit and finish of the SAMs that i have and have seen are 100%
no mill marks, no sharp edged everything is smooth and feels good in the hands.
the stainless ones are nice and the blued one i have is more of a Parkerized finish then a true blueing.

hope that helps.
 
keep in mind that the SAMs have not been on the market for long, what are we up to now 18 months?
so the as to how long the finish will hold up on them is still being researched.
the one i picked up 15 months ago is still perfect.
granted round count is not high on it.
 
I love my SAM Thunderbolt. A year, and 1000's of factory and handloads of every description through it, and not one problem.

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